Task 1
Continuous self-development is an imperative aspect of leadership that needs to be realized by every leader for proper management. Essentially, this process requires critical planning and self-awareness to realize one’s goals in any profession. As a system manager in a food manufacturing firm, workload planning is a major element of self-development because of the information communication technology involved in the chain. Ideally, my plan is to become a renowned information technology expert helping a firm to realize the best output in a technology-based society by liaising to streamline data handling and management.
The Importance of Continual Self-Development in Achieving Organizational Objectives
Continual self-development is a vital attribute of growth that directly contributes to the achievement of organizational goals. Primarily, self-development entails aligning one’s behavioral principles to the goals of the organization. Such values may include adjusting skills such as time management, interpersonal communication, emotional intelligence, and other soft skills relevant to job handling (Torrington et al., 2008). Such variables may be crucial in enhancing the hard skills required in handling the day-to-day work demands. Continual self-development enhances self-fulfillment by promoting individual awareness about the current competency level. Such attributes motivate folks to desire improvement to meet the objectives of their organizations on a daily basis. At the same time, people can get feedback about their performance through exposure. In our company, for instance, there are continuous IT pieces of training and seminars used to appraise individuals on their levels of competency and relevance.
At the same time, learning through one’s career is a pivotal way of identifying and embracing changes to meet the daily demands within the firm’s objectives. Ideally, the information technology platform is one of the most dynamic sectors in the economy, which requires a continuous update to effectively compete in the industry (Shaheen and Hameed, 2020). Therefore, continuous development enables an individual to design personal goals and visions to meet the professional objectives at work. Through such a process, one can outline their weaknesses and strengths using the SWOT analysis and know where to improve, which implicates improvement at their places of work.
Current Skills and Competencies against Defined Role Requirements and Organizational Objectives
As a system manager in a food manufacturing company, some of the key skills required include competent skills in information technology and software management. In essence, this profession requires a clear understanding of project management to ensure effective data management and soft skill development to ensure the adoption of the ever-changing information and communication technology systems. As a result, one of the mechanisms to enhance personal and professional development may include identifying the current skills alongside defined role requirements as illustrated in Table 1 below:
Table 1: Current Skills Related to Defined Roles and Objectives
Table 1 provides a clear correlation between my current skills as the system manager and the job specifications as stipulated by the company contractual agreement. In essence, there are multiple opportunities and threats within the industry that require critical self-evaluation to actualize the need for continued development at work. Nonetheless, some of the prevailing strengths include soft skills and leadership, which help in effective communication with other staff to enhance effective development throughout the project. These techniques are also valuable in combined response to challenges presented in daily routines.
The Development Opportunities to Meet Current And Future Defined Needs
The use of information communication technology has become one of the inevitable approaches in modern companies. In essence, the food sector is highly adopting these modern techniques to ensure sustainable development. Some of the prevailing development opportunities, as a system manager, may include up-to-date skills and expertise to handle the highly dynamic technology industry. These opportunities may present in the form of new software for better development of databases and a new approach to networking within the information technology segment (Fletcher, 2019). Currently, there are several platforms to learn such skills, including e-learning, seminars, online coaching, and mentoring as well as short courses aimed at improving practical skills and self-awareness.
At the same time, it will be important to develop good working conditions with members from all departments to ensure professional growth, including promotions and placement. Ideally, the art of developing effective and relevant communication skills and interpersonal skills will immensely promote the realization of organizational goals. The management position requires a fundamental understanding of human relations and the creation of opportunities for all workers to thrive. Some of the key strategies to realize these aims may include job work placements and sabbatical leaves to enhance self-reflection.
The Personal Development Plan With Achievable but Challenging Goals
Table 2: Personal Development Plan
Task 2
The Resources Required to Support the Personal Development Plan
Individuals require both intrinsic and external support to actualize their goals in a personal development plan. Some of these requirements may include financial resources, IT equipment like computers, software and internet services, and other materials requirement for data management and networking. Likewise, personal engagement, including time away from family, mobile phones for communication and logistics, and access support systems are also important in creating a sustainable business environment. Moreover, the introduction of new technologies as envisaged in the plan may require the hiring of experts to help in the training and installation of data set systems. Such challenges may require special training and education to ensure a smooth transition to ensure plan execution.
Develop a Business Case to Secure the Resources to Support the Personal Development Plan
Many organizations have used organizational information resource management (OIRM) as an IT-based case to address various issues in personal plan execution. This case provides a framework and a guideline within which resources can be mobilized and secured for effective management. Under such a case, my company will require accountability in the use of resources like time, information, funds, and IT equipment to ensure personal development plans support to a full realization among all staff.
Discuss the Processes Required To Implement the Personal Development Plan
In practice, the implementation of a personal development plan requires dedication and experience. The perpetrator must understand the objectives, which need to be specific, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Therefore, the initial stage in implementing the plan involves self-understanding and reflection to help digest and understand the key duties, and objectives and relate them to the time frame. Such practice is also important in enabling an individual to conceptualize the aim while eliminating some unrealistic goals while replacing them with relevant ones.
Upon harmonizing and conceptualizing the goals, an individual seeks to conduct trials and participatory approaches to see which attribute will work and which one may be dropped. At this point, there is a distinction between personal and professional development as understood by the perpetrators. This step will enhance the manager’s personal understanding of the aspects of the project which require critical amendment and those which may be implemented as identified in the primary stages.
To improve the software skills and expertise, there is a need to engage in continuous learning and research to understand the trends in the market. Therefore, self-appraisal is a pertinent procedure in enhancing mastery of the skills required and the gaps in the market to ensure sustainable development and growth. Thereafter, an individual will have a blueprint of the implementation procedure because has identified all the relevant gaps alongside the best practice decisions for implementation.
Task 3
The Relationship between Staff Welfare and Organizational Objectives
In any institution, staff welfare is the primary element that determines the productivity of human resources. Staff welfare is a broad field that entails their occupational health and safety alongside their work-life balance plus their long-term commitment. Welfare elements such as the conditions of work environment, schedules, flexibility in operations designs alongside the way managers relate with all staff at times are vital in the combined success of any company. The organizational objectives tend to provide guidance and direction while aiming at motivating the worker to achieve their goals. At the same time, these guidelines offer motivation and encouragement for staff members to keep working towards a common company goal (Gopinath, 2020). Employees who are fit with the business strategies and organizational cultures tend to realize their full potential and propel their companies to greater heights. Therefore, it is important to develop a good support system that enables everyone within the hierarchy to enjoy their work duration within the institution.
Assessing Staff Welfare
Assessing staff welfare requires a critical understanding of both the internal and external business environment. Individually, one can access the welfare of their team by looking at their health, safety, and security alongside the conditions of the work environment. At the same time, it is possible to use social aspects and characters to assess their wellness conditions at work. Some of the important factors may include interpersonal relationships portrayed by the workers at workstations. In practice, a good manager should design self-evaluation and reporting tools to ensure there is continuous feedback about the welfare of staff.
Indicators such as discrimination reports, sexual harassment, and violence may portray a gap in the welfare programs, which may trigger considerable concern. Likewise, it is important to develop a close relationship with all staff members, creating a friendly environment for them to report challenges like domestic issues, illnesses, pregnancy, and parental responsibilities to avoid unnecessary wrangles within the workplace (Ramaditya, 2020). Where the employees’ welfare is compromised, there exist chances of poor performance and reduced productivity, which may result in losses. As the system management in the food sector, it is important to avoid such conditions because food is highly perishable and may result in huge losses.
The Actions to Be Taken By the Manager in Dealing with a Staff Welfare Issue
In any organization, the manager has the central mandate of providing a conducive working environment for all the staff members. Besides, it is important to ensure that all workers endure a safe, healthy, and productive working experience throughout their employment period. Thus, some of the critical actions demanded of a manager may include offering competent leadership skills at all levels (Al Adresi and Darun, 2017). While dealing with a welfare issue at work, the manager should ensure a proper communication channel. Likewise, the individual ensures well-structured occupational health and safety procedures with individual responsibilities. Moreover, it is imperative to initiate continuous training and awareness creation on how to handle welfare challenges within the work environment.
Logically, competent organs must have policy guidelines alongside their execution. Our company has a procedural approach to health and safety precautions offering step-by-step procedures on matters of personal safety. Such guidelines have always helped many people to avoid hazards and risks while at work. It is always important to stay safe at all times. Therefore, managers tend to play the lead role in promoting adherence to the occupational health and safety standards at work, in all corners of practice within the business environment. To realize such environments, managers need to maintain good interpersonal relations with the staff and employees of all levels, ensuring flexibility and accountability in all the decisions within the company.
Communicating Responsibilities for Staff Welfare to the Team
Many managers have failed to realize the importance of welfare responsibility communications, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Such a situation has affected the sustainability of most firms to closure or retrenchment of workers. Ideally, staff welfare is individual welfare which starts with every employee even without written policies in place. Therefore, competent manager needs to build communication channels within which they can communicate with their staff about their safety and health at work.
One of the ways to enhance such cultures is the induction procedures. Companies with effective employment strategies tend to utilize induction as an opportunity to let their new recruits understand their operation policies and objectives so that they comply with the requirement as a personal responsibility. Likewise, it is always important to organize team meetings and seminars to inform the staff about any changes in policy guidelines and safety routines.
Some managers opt for an individual approach by meeting each staff at particular times to discuss the safety issues as enshrined within the operational standards of the company. Our company uses every notice board to pass information about safety and self-awareness. All employees are required to adhere to all the recommendations as a mechanism of avoiding accidents at work. At some point, there are regular safety and health meetings aimed at training and updating members on the different ways to identify and avoid risks at work. These principles entail international guidelines developed to ensure workers’ wellness in all sectors of an economy. Therefore, competent managers need to identify the best mechanism which they find fit for effective communication in their organizations.
Records about Staff Welfare
Overly, staff welfare depends on individualized communication design alongside the work environment factors. Nonetheless, there are several records in our company which indicate that the staff welfare is paramount at all stages in the industry. Some of these documents may include the risk assessment records, which are collected during every inspection and assessment period to ascertain the viability of the workplaces. At the same time, gathering information about assets and office furniture status may help to highlight the level of comfort enjoyed by every staff member within the company. In this company, there are records of accidents noted every day, whether from slips, spills, sharp objects, or any other risks and hazards at their duty stations. Likewise, I keep interview records to ensure effective surveillance and improvement within the workplace.
Reference List
Al Adresi, A. and Darun, M.R., (2017). Determining the relationship between strategic human resource management practices and organizational commitment. International Journal of Engineering Business Management, 9.
Fletcher, L., (2019). How can personal development lead to increased engagement? The roles of meaningfulness and perceived line manager relations. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(7), pp.1203-1226.
Gopinath, R., (2020). Prominence of Self-Actualization in Organization. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(3), pp. 11591-11602.
Ramaditya, M., (2020). Does teamwork, career development, self-development influence work involvement. Journal of Socioeconomics and Development, 3(2), pp. 1-11.
Shaheen, S. and Hameed, M., (2020). Personal Development Plan (PDP). World Family Medicine, 18(4), pp. 66-72.
Torrington, D., Hall, L., and Taylor, S. (2008) Human Resources Management.7th Ed., Essex: Person Education Limited